Android Considering the Xperia Play

Chrono_Tata · Apr 21, 2011

I'd say the hardware for the Play makes me a bit suspicious if it will stand the test of time when duel-core processor Androids are about to arrive on the market. It will still be powerful enough to play most the games available in the next few months, but when games come out that are optimised for duel-core then you might end up regretting your purchase a little.

Anyway as an Android phone it's about as good as any other in the current generation. I've heard criticism about how the screen performs badly outdoor, which is a deal-breaker for me since I've got so used to the excellent Super AMOLED on my Galaxy S. Also the battery life is rather short compared to other phones (although this could be improved with battery-saving tools and new firmware revisions) The main selling point of the Play is the slide-out gamepad (which has received glowing reviews), but keep in mind that most Android games are made so that you don't need physical buttons to play anyway, although it is very important if you want to delve into emulators and such for a bit of a nostalgia trip.

In short, if you are not planning on taking advantage of the gamepad fully then better wait a bit and get something more powerful, otherwise go for it. I doubt there will be another gamepad phone coming out any time soon.

Originality · Apr 21, 2011

Remember that the Xperia play was basically designed as the "PSP Phone". It's going to be the first device to be able to play PSP games on Android, and probably the first device to get access to the new PlayStation Suite that's being integrated into the Android Market. Now who wouldn't want to be able to play Monster Hunter on Android?

EDIT: Weird, it created a double post. Anyway, that's cleaned up now.

Terminator02 · Apr 21, 2011

there's been no commitment to PSP games coming on the phone, only PSX

playstation suite is still relatively unknown, but will hopefully be cleared up at E3

honestly, the only reason i'm personally considering buying it is the possibility of playing PSP games as i don't own a psp
so if this thing isn't either announced to play them or hacked to do so, then it's appeal really drops for me

CarbonX13 · Apr 21, 2011

ProtoKun7 said:
CarbonX13 said:

Dual-core processors are starting to appear, but that doesn't mean they make single-core processors completely irrelevant.

Click to expand...

Fix'd.
Changes the meaning entirely the way you put it.

Haha, my bad.

But my point came across for the most part...

dropper · Apr 21, 2011

cough

Terminator02 · Apr 21, 2011

no, you can't really map the circle pads unless the developers themselves add support for it, plus the n64 and psx emulators kind of suck anyways

but, the official psx games by sony (only crash bandicoot for now) run perfectly smooth

Foxi4 · Apr 21, 2011

You got me wrong, Terminator. If you researched the web for resources on the Xperia Play, surely you stumbled upon my news thread on DS-Scene with a truckload of info regarding the phone.

I LOVE the Xperia Play. I WILL buy it regardless of the fact that it's Single-Core. Playstation Certified games will run exactly the same on all Playstation Certified devices ANYWAYS so it doesn't make a difference. Only Android apps may be affected, and so far, Snapdragon Scorpion ranks SKY HIGH in Neocore, especially with Android 2.3 on-board. Yes, it does make a difference due to improved OpenGLES (1.2 versus 2.0, as far as I remember).

All I was saying was that it'd be nice if they threw in a dual-core, since they will inevitably become a standard for high-end devices very soon.

Terminator02 · Apr 22, 2011

i had to literally go to ds-scene and search for xperia play to find your post, i came up with only this

not really that much but the initial rumors from back in december

and i was really just defending the xperia from being called "a fairly low-priced entry-level Android device." which it really isn't at all, and from you calling the processor "a bit aged, but it still 'does the job'" like it's from last year's devices

Foxi4 · Apr 22, 2011

The thread DOES have 10 pages y'know. I periodically added info to it when I found any on a semi-regular basis.

It does have a processor that's from last year's devices - there are better ones available.

It is a fairly low-priced Android device - I've seen more expensive ones, for example the Droid when it started off.

Nothing I said is blown out of proportion.

Terminator02 · Apr 22, 2011

ugh....

Foxi4 said:
The thread DOES have 10 pages y'know. I periodically added info to it when I found any on a semi-regular basis.

It does have a processor that's from last year's devices - there are better ones available.

It is a fairly low-priced Android device - I've seen more expensive ones, for example the Droid when it started off.

Nothing I said is blown out of proportion.

QUOTE said:

i was really just defending the xperia from being called "a fairly low-priced entry-level Android device." which it really isn't at all

QUOTE

Click to expand...

and from you calling the processor "a bit aged, but it still 'does the job'" like it's from last year's devices

i'm sorry, let me rephrase that, 'like it's from devices from before October of last year', even tho it's still being put in current phones and works wonderfully

and i'm done, i'm not gonna reply again unless it's someone not named foxi4

Foxi4 · Apr 22, 2011

Pfsh.

You don't have to be so butthurt about it, it's not like it matters the world to me to set your thought train straight. When you're releasing a device and you're well-aware that dual-core devices will be released really darn soon, you put a dual core in yourself not to be the slowpoke in the crowd. That's how progress *works*. The fact that we're using 2nd Gen SnapDragons when the 4th Gen is well-into testing is beyond me, but I can only explain that with "the target consumer being gulible".

The fact that something worked last year doesn't mean it's enough *this* year, that kind of thinking would make us play on the Commodore64 now while using dial-up.

CarbonX13 · Apr 25, 2011

Foxi4 said:
The fact that we're using 2nd Gen SnapDragons when the 4th Gen is well-into testing is beyond me, but I can only explain that with "the target consumer being gulible".
Just because they are "well-into testing" doesn't mean they're ready for release. That's why they are still in testing. No wonder companies haven't put the 4th Generation Snapdragons in their devices yet.

QUOTEThe fact that something worked last year doesn't mean it's enough *this* year.

Dual-core processors will not dominate the smartphone market until all the major smartphone companies release more than a few models of their dual-core phones onto the market. How many dual-core phones are on the market right now? I count the Motorola Atrix, and the LG Optimus 2X (T-Mobile G2X). That's two phones. How many are scheduled to hit the market by the end of the year? So far all I can name are Samsung Galaxy S II, HTC Sensation, HTC Evo 3D, Motorola Droid Bionic, LG Optimus 3D, and LG Thrill 4G. So that's six more. With the limitations of how carriers only get certain models and such, we're probably seeing these getting split up into flagship models of their respective carriers by the end of the year. But does that mean they will dominate the market immediately? Not until 2012 at least. Until there are significant amounts of users on the dual-core phones, developers won't be optimizing their applications for upgraded hardware just yet. I do expect the Galaxy S II and HTC Sensation to sell really well once they do reach the market, but that doesn't indicate that the current high-end, single-core processors cannot get the job done for even a little longer. They will still work for at least another year, before everyone starts jumping onto the dual-core bandwagon, and will begin to release only dual-core phones on a more rounded basis, not just for the expensive high-end. Our current high-end models like the Thunderbolt, Incredible S, Xperia Arc, Xperia Play and such will hold up to become mid-high range by the end of the year, and will only begin to effectively become low-end when we start seeing devices that are boasting dual-core, 2 GHz processors. Dual-core processors didn't replace the computer market instantly. They began out in the high-end territory, before growing to becoming a more medium standard. Notice how we're still seeing single-core processors on lower-end laptops even to this day, despite dual-core being existent for quite some time now. Quad-core processors have entered the market more recently, and they haven't even begun to push out dual-core yet. I agree that dual-core processors on smartphones will eventually phase out our current high-end single-core ones, but just not as fast as what you're thinking.

Originality · Apr 25, 2011

To elaborate on one of your points... The only single core CPUs in the current computing Market are CULV CPUs for devices too small to get sufficient power/cooling (Atom CPUs) or aiming for large battery life (Core 2 Solo and Pentium series). Otherwise, they've been completely supplanted by dual core AMD CPUs in the budget range and core i3/5 in the mid-range Market.

You are right though that devs won't start designing for dual core phones until enough of the Market use dual core phones. My HTC DHD should easily last the 2 years of my contract until I feel the need for another upgrade.

dropper · Apr 26, 2011

cough

Foxi4 · Apr 26, 2011

CarbonX13 said:
Foxi4 said:

The fact that we're using 2nd Gen SnapDragons when the 4th Gen is well-into testing is beyond me, but I can only explain that with "the target consumer being gulible".
Just because they are "well-into testing" doesn't mean they're ready for release. That's why they are still in testing. No wonder companies haven't put the 4th Generation Snapdragons in their devices yet.

QUOTEThe fact that something worked last year doesn't mean it's enough *this* year.

Click to expand...

Dual-core processors will not dominate the smartphone market until all the major smartphone companies release more than a few models of their dual-core phones onto the market. How many dual-core phones are on the market right now? I count the Motorola Atrix, and the LG Optimus 2X (T-Mobile G2X). That's two phones. How many are scheduled to hit the market by the end of the year? So far all I can name are Samsung Galaxy S II, HTC Sensation, HTC Evo 3D, Motorola Droid Bionic, LG Optimus 3D, and LG Thrill 4G. So that's six more. With the limitations of how carriers only get certain models and such, we're probably seeing these getting split up into flagship models of their respective carriers by the end of the year. But does that mean they will dominate the market immediately? Not until 2012 at least. Until there are significant amounts of users on the dual-core phones, developers won't be optimizing their applications for upgraded hardware just yet. I do expect the Galaxy S II and HTC Sensation to sell really well once they do reach the market, but that doesn't indicate that the current high-end, single-core processors cannot get the job done for even a little longer. They will still work for at least another year, before everyone starts jumping onto the dual-core bandwagon, and will begin to release only dual-core phones on a more rounded basis, not just for the expensive high-end. Our current high-end models like the Thunderbolt, Incredible S, Xperia Arc, Xperia Play and such will hold up to become mid-high range by the end of the year, and will only begin to effectively become low-end when we start seeing devices that are boasting dual-core, 2 GHz processors. Dual-core processors didn't replace the computer market instantly. They began out in the high-end territory, before growing to becoming a more medium standard. Notice how we're still seeing single-core processors on lower-end laptops even to this day, despite dual-core being existent for quite some time now. Quad-core processors have entered the market more recently, and they haven't even begun to push out dual-core yet. I agree that dual-core processors on smartphones will eventually phase out our current high-end single-core ones, but just not as fast as what you're thinking.

Between Generation 2 and Generation 4 that's currently being tested is the magical number 3 that should've been used instead. It's past the testing stage and it's ready to roll.

Xperia Play, being advertised as a "gaming phone", should sport much "better" hardware than standard smartphones instead of just being "even" with them, mainly because it's purpse demands more processing power. Android is multi-core friendly as it is and it would not require any groundbreaking changes.

As far as the shift from single-core to multi-core is concerned, it took just 1 generation of CPU's to make the "dream come true" in most households, that generation being the PentiumD-type processors which instead of having a dual-core built literally had *2* complete CPU's within them. After that, most gamers moved on to the Core or the AMD's late Athlon/Sempron's - it didn't take *too long* with PC's and it shouldn't with mobile devices either. (Obviously this is a huge mental shortcut, but you surely know the gist of the story)

I'm far from saying that its built leaves much to desire - at current it's *brilliant*. Thing is, gaming devices are known to have a longer life span than PDA's - it should *exceed* expectations, not just meet them.

SpaceJump · Apr 27, 2011

I guess games that didn't support the gamepad won't magically support it, but is there any info if they will be updated to use the gamepad?

What about games, are iPhone games generally also available for Android?

CarbonX13 · Apr 27, 2011

SpaceJump said:
I guess games that didn't support the gamepad won't magically support it, but is there any info if they will be updated to use the gamepad?

What about games, are iPhone games generally also available for Android?

Considering that the Xperia Play is the only phone out there on the market (and likely will be for quite some time) with the dedicated gamepad, I doubt most developers would even bother updating their apps for gamepad support. Maybe if Sony signed some form of contract or something to get them to update for gamepad support, but I wouldn't get my hopes up.

In general terms, some of the most popular iOS games have found their way onto the Android in the past year due to the rising popularity of the platform. Angry Birds, Doodle Jump, and Fruit Ninja are examples of this. However, some of the heavier (more larger) titles such as Chaos Rings have not, and likely will not, make their way to the Android market due to more complex designs that were probably built for the iOS devices that may have compatibility issues that would require re-programming a lot of code for a port. Obviously Android has its exclusives too, but iOS tends to have a more abundance in games (though a lot of them are crap).

Foxi4 · Apr 27, 2011

CarbonX13 said:
SpaceJump said:

I guess games that didn't support the gamepad won't magically support it, but is there any info if they will be updated to use the gamepad?

What about games, are iPhone games generally also available for Android?

Click to expand...

Considering that the Xperia Play is the only phone out there on the market (and likely will be for quite some time) with the dedicated gamepad, I doubt most developers would even bother updating their apps for gamepad support. Maybe if Sony signed some form of contract or something to get them to update for gamepad support, but I wouldn't get my hopes up.

In general terms, some of the most popular iOS games have found their way onto the Android in the past year due to the rising popularity of the platform. Angry Birds, Doodle Jump, and Fruit Ninja are examples of this. However, some of the heavier (more larger) titles such as Chaos Rings have not, and likely will not, make their way to the Android market due to more complex designs that were probably built for the iOS devices that may have compatibility issues that would require re-programming a lot of code for a port. Obviously Android has its exclusives too, but iOS tends to have a more abundance in games (though a lot of them are crap).

Sony Ericsson signed a contract with the most popular video game developers for mobiles to supply the Xperia Play with games and adapt existing popular ones to the system, along with adding bonus content.

Gameloft, Glu, EA to name a few. A full list of the devs is available online.

Examples of such "adapted" games are for example Dungeon Defenders and that Bruce Lee fighter.

SpaceJump · Apr 28, 2011

Today I nearly bought a used Xperia Play. When trying to start a game a message came up saying that there's not enough memory on the mSD although there should be. It also wasn't able to format the mSD card.

What do you think? Corrupted mSD card or even faulty system?

Originality · Apr 28, 2011

80% chance it's the mSD card at fault. Often due to being a "fake", but not always.

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